I have, therefore, I prepared a list of 5 reasons why parents can hate Facebook especially when it comes to their kids using it, followed up by some tips and pointers that could help parents in their struggle to give their kids some freedom while making sure they are safe.

1. Easy come, easy go…

Facebook applications, especially those like Cafe World and Farmville, teach kids that everything could be achieved with just a click or a few. Many parents consider this very negative because it effects the way their children are growing up and alters their image of reality!

2. Ready or not, here I come…

Parents, kids & Facebook!

When kids are exposed to social media channels at an early age, especially when it comes to Facebook, they are exposed to different people from all over the world. Although some people might view this as a positive growing aid, many parents fear that this will raise the chances of exposing their children to the “bad world and the bad people” since they are more likely to encounter sex offenders, perverts, pedophiles and so on.

3. What should I believe?

When children are young, they start developing their own belief system in the world they are living in. Through their parents, siblings, relatives, friends and school, they are supposed to build solid grounds for how they will turn up to be. Facebook allows for unorganized interactions with others who come from various cultures and have different mentalities, personalities, ways of thinking and so on, which can leave the child confused and lost!

4. Did you do your homework?

Regardless of your age, Facebook can cause serious problems for you, namely: addiction! As adults, we are more likely to be able to control our addiction and limit it to certain hours of the day. Kids, however, are not likely to do so! Therefore, Facebook could end up causing kids to ignore doing their homework, hyperactivity or even playing sick not to go to school!

5. Behavior is acquired!

Molding a kid requires a great amount of self discipline from parents, a discipline which surely does not exist on Facebook or any other social media sites for that matter! Drama, exaggerated reactions, rebellion and many other actions could be easily learned through Facebook.

Oh Crap. My Parents Joined Facebook!

So, what could parents do to limit the damage?

Consider the following:

Monitor and control the time your kids spend on Facebook.

Try to friend your your kids on Facebook, this will keep you involved and up-to-date with their latest.

Remember: if you ban them from using Facebook, they will do it behind your back, so be smart about your approach!

Talk to them and advise them but also take time to play some games with them!

Finally, and to wrap up allow me to ask you a few questions: Have you ever felt that Facebook represents a problem to your kids? Have you ever used Facebook to track your kids? Did it work?

About the author:

ThoughtPick's Web marketing consultant, content writer and copy-editor. Born into a well-rounded and educated family igniting her interest in reading, writing and research. Graduated from the Lebanese American University with a bachelor's degree, with honors, in Marketing followed by an MBA. Currently an active writer, poet and blogger. ∼ Beirut

Comments and Reactions

I agree with most the points, but the solution of friending your kids on Facebook is like the ultimate insult to a kid in his social circle.

Take the following example into consideration. My mom friended my little brother on Facebook a few months ago. She was still learning how to use it and the 'post to wall' feature just seemed like the the thing FB was pushing her to do. So, out of fun, she posted: “I love you my little man. Your mom” on his wall. The kid was messed up for the rest of the week. I never heard him reach those ultrasonic sound waves before :D

My point is: Give him space, and if you friend him, don't embarrass him.

It can be an embarrassment, I agree. However, I have my mom and brother on my Facebook account and it's a great way to keep in touch with them and always know what is going on with them, without the need to ask and pry :)

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